Nepal holds a day of mourning after floods kill at least 1,300 people

KATHMANDU, Nepal — Nepal held a day of mourning Monday to remember those killed in the Aug. 26 floods, with flags lowered at government offices and families concluding mourning rituals.

Monday was the 13th day since the flooding, which killed more than 1,300 people in Nepal and Tibet and left some 5,000 missing, including foreigners, according to Nepal’s disaster management agency.

In predominantly Hindu Nepal, mourning periods last 13 days, during which close family members stay home and relatives visit to pay their respects. Rituals are held on the final day to pray for the souls of the departed.

Several people whose relatives remain missing performed symbolic funerals. Cremation is an important final rite in Hindu tradition, and performing the ceremony even without the bodies of their loved ones provided some families a sense of spiritual release.

The government had declared Monday an official day of mourning and ordered flags at government offices lowered to half-staff.

Meanwhile, search efforts continued for the missing, but some protested that not enough was being done.

In Kathmandu, relatives gathered near the offices of the prime minister and key ministries to demand the government speed up search and rescue efforts for hundreds of people…

Original source: https://www.nbcnews.com/business